iPhone X vs XR

iPhone X vs XR: Only One Year Apart, Yet Totally Different

Our iPhone X vs XR showdown will tell you which is the better choice

iPhone XR: The first affordable iPhone with a notch

The affordable iPhone XR was released a year after the iPhone X in 2018 to give people a cheaper iPhone that still had a notch. And even though the prices of these iPhones are pretty similar now, this wasn’t always the case. The iPhone XR was the first affordable iPhone with gesture based navigation controls that represented a departure from the $999 price tag for the entry-level notched iPhone.

iPhone XR vs X: Now both are affordable

But that’s enough of a history lesson, there used to be a huge difference in price between the iPhone X vs XR, but now thanks to the used and refurbished market, the iPhone X vs XR comparison is mostly just a question of functionality and specs rather than cost. You can currently find both of these used iPhones on our website for under $300.

Comparing iPhone X and XR display and battery

The iPhone XR has a 6.1” display versus the 5.8” display that’s featured in the iPhone X. This screen size advantage of the iPhone XR comes with the obvious benefits of being better for reading content and watching videos, but also leaves you with a slightly larger device that perhaps isn’t as easy to grip when using your phone one-handed. And although the iPhone X does come with fancy OLED screen technology that results in more vibrant colors and a higher resolution, we preferred the larger display on the iPhone XR.

The larger size of the iPhone XR also comes with another benefit: the ability to house a larger battery. You can squeeze about 10 hours of browsing time out of the battery in the iPhone X, which is much less than the 13 hours you can expect to get out of the XR. And that vibrant OLED screen in the iPhone X also contributes to making this device more of a battery guzzler versus the XR.

Comparing iPhone X and XR speed and camera performance

If you flip these phones over and compare the back panels of the iPhone X vs XR, you’ll notice that the iPhone X has an additional camera lens. That additional lens will give you the ability to zoom out to take wide-angle shots, and that’s an added perk that you won’t be seeing in the iPhone XR. But don’t think you can knock the camera found in the XR; since it’s a year newer than the X, you can expect it to be marginally better thanks to the additional computational photography tricks that the A12 Bionic chip brings with it.

In terms of overall performance, you can also expect the iPhone XR to be marginally faster since it has that A12 Bionic chip versus the A11 inside the iPhone X. Is it a huge difference? No, probably only a 30% speed boost in most circumstances, but if you put them side-by-side you'll probably notice it, and it can be nice to have a newer processor inside your phone, especially when both phones cost about the same.

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Color options for iPhone X vs XR

Another factor when deciding between the iPhone XR vs X should be the color options. The iPhone X unfortunately was only produced in silver and space gray, while you can find a lot of playful color options for the XR such as coral, blue, red, and yellow -- it also comes in more conservative colors like black and white if you don't want to bring too much attention to yourself :)

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Our final piece of advice

To be honest, it isn’t so easy to choose between the iPhone X vs XR anymore. A few years ago, the XR was significantly cheaper than the X, so it seemed like the easy winner, but now that these two phones are about the same price, it really is strictly a matter of preference. You may prefer the more playful and free-spirited vibe of the XR, or the sleekness of the X. Whichever one you may choose, it’s hard to go wrong with either one of these phones.

Back Market

Written by Back Market,  The leading marketplace for refurbished tech.

Our mission is to make renewed tech mainstream. Turning old into "new new", so to speak.

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